Drip-pan alarm



Jan. 25, 1927. H L PIERCE ET AL DRIP PAN ALARM Filed April 25, 1925 I II HIIHIH Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

oar-trai stares HENRY L. PIERCE annein'r non" Pruner or Efren-onto:-

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a Application filed April as, 1925. Senate. casts:

The present invention relates to alarms for refrigerator dip pans, and aims among other things to provide an alarm ofthis type which may be placed beneath any ordinary refrigerator and mounted on the drip pan therebelow, and will automatically indicate when the refrigerator pan requires to be emptied, and which will be so constructed that it may be easily removed from the refrigerator pan.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a device of this nature, which is exceedingly simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, efiicient,

reliable, compact, strong, durable, and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which it is designed. r i

Vith the above and other objects in View, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view, through a refrigerator drip pan, showing my improved alarm, mounted thereon, and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the alarm.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that a platform is made up of two strips 5 and 6, of insulating material, such as hard rubber or the like. These strips are held together by a plurality of bolts 7 and 8. The bolts 8 also pierce the shanks 9 of brackets which are provided with U-shaped bodies for receiving the flange 10 of a drip pan 11. The U-shaped bodies are designated by the numerals 12 and terminate in arms 13, having their ends curved, as at 14:, for engaging the outer surface of one side of thepan 11, on which is disposed the flange 10. It will thus be seen that the platform may be quickly engaged in Place on the pan and quickly removed therefrom, as desired. 'When the brackets are engaged, as just described, the platform will be supported in a substantially horizontal position in the upper portion of the drip, pan 11. A bifurcated member 15 is suitably fixed to the platform and rises therefrom adjacent one end, and has electrically connected therewith a plate 16 having one end thereof extending angularly therefrom and upwardly through the strip 5, for forming the extension 17.

A contact arm 18 is pivoted at one end between the bifurcations of the member 15.

A knife switch element 19 is fixed on the platform, and is electrically connected to the plate 20, disposed between the strips 5 and 6, and having an upwardly disposed extension 21, piercing the strip 5. The free extremity of the contact arms 18 is adapted to engage the switch elements 19.

A bar 22 extends through the platform,

. and is held in place by nuts 23, so that it may be adjusted. The lower end of this bar 22 is bifurcated and pivotally receives a lever 2a. On one end of this lever 24 there is mounted a float element 25, while the other end of the lever is pivoted to the link 26 slidable through the platform. The upper end of the linkis attached to the intermediate portion of the arm 18 by means of the insulating member 26.

When the parts are assembled, as just described, and as clearly illustrated in the drawings, it will be seen that if an alarm 27 is placed in circuit with a suitable source of electrical energy 28, and with the extensions 17 and 21, that as the water risesin the drip pan 11, the float will be raised also. When the float reaches a predetermined position, which may be adjusted by regulating the bar 22, the switch arm 18 will come into engagement with the knife switch element 19, and energize the alarm 27 so that a person will know that the drip pan 11 should be emptied,

' It is thought that the construction, operation' and advantages of the invention will now be clearly understood without a more detailed description. i

The present embodiment of the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example, and attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, in the statement of the invention and the above description.

Having thus described our invention,

what we claim as new is:

A device of "the classdescribed including a platform a bifurcated member supported on the platform. a knife switch element supported on the platform,- an arm pivoted to perpendicularly through the bifurcated member engageal'ile With the knife switch element, a link extending through an opening in the platform and pivot-ally engaged with an intermediate POI- tion of the arm, a bar extending through an opening in the platform and disposed the platform, means on the bar for holding it in respect to'the platform, said means being adjustable, a lever pivoted on the'zn'in below the platform, one end of the lever being pivoted to the link. 7

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

HENRY L. PIERCE. ARTHUR PIERCE. 

